Wrench.



A. L'AITLNEN WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILLI MMI 3.19l3.

1,080,468. Patented Dec 2,1913.

A i Y s UUUUUU :d ""u y 5MM/toc wit/Mense@ rL l www hmmm? ABEL LAITINEN,OF NORTHLAND, MINNESOTA.

WRENCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

Application iled March 3, 1913. Serial No. 751,783.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Anni, LArrINEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Northland, in the county of St. Louis and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVi'enclies; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tools, and more 4especially to wrenches havinga sliding adjustment; and the object of the same is to produce la wrenchwhose outer or movable jaw is automatically closed by a spring when aworm is thrown out of engagement with a rack bar by the movement of abutton standing in contact with the thumb of the operator, whereas theworm automatically rengages the rack bar :when the thumb is removed fromsaid button. This object is carried out by constructing the wrench inthe mannerhereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown inthe drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional viewthrough this wrench complete, showing its outer or movable jaw retractedinto engagement with a nut. Figs. 2,3 and 4 are cross sections on thelines 2 2, 3 3, and 1 4 respectively of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective'detail of the cam member which is carried bythe" button. Fig. 6 is aperspective detail of the hook memberl which carries the worm.

In the drawings is shown an inner jaw I having a tubular shank T inwhich slides the shank S of an cuter jaw O, which shank has teeth alongone edge constituting a rack R.

engaged by a worm lV which is connected with the inner jaw in amanner-yet `to be described; and the letter N designates a nut to begripped between the outer and inner jaws as shown. These details arecommon to wrenches of many types, and no claim for novelty thereon ismade herein. l

Coming now to the present invention, the inner end of the tubular shankT is by preference closed by a block 1 which is held in place by anysuitable means such as a screw V2, and connected with this block as by across pin 3 passing through it is a rod et which projects along the boreof the tubular shank T and has a head 5 at its outer end. Coiled on thisrod is an expansive spring 6 located within a spring chamber 7 in theshank S of the outer jaw O, which shank is of a size to slide within thebore of the tubular shank T of the inner jaw I as shown, and the spring6 rests against a partition wall 8 across the inner end of said chamber7, while the rod 1 projects loosely through a hole 9 in said wall asseen in Fig. 1. VThe result of this construction is that the expansionof the spring 6 normallydraws the shank S and outer jaw 0 downward withrespect to the inner jaw I as seen in Fig. 1, so that any article ofwork such as the nut N therein illustrated will be clamped between saidjaws when the spring is permitted to act. As above stated, oneedge, herethe front edge, of the shank S is provided with a series of teethconstituting the rack R, with which is adapted to be engaged the worm Whaving spiral threads 10 around it.

The shank of the inner jaw I, while made tiibular at T to receive theshank S yof the outer jaw O, is by preference made rather heavy andsolid along one side of the shank excepting fora recess 11 to containthe following instrumentalities: Pivoted at 12 in the outer end of saidrecess is the extremity of a' hook 13 best seen in Fig. 6, the body ofthis hook being pressed normally inward by means of a Spring 14 whosetension Inay be regulated by a screw 15, the shank of the hook carryingthe worm Il' which is rotatably mounted thereon, and the bill 16 of thehook projecting inward toward the rack It. Engaging said bill is a cammember 17 best seen in Fig. 5, whose outer end or head is provided witha. nose 18 which engages the hook beyond its bill while the cam face 19engages the tip of said bill as seen in.

Fig. 1. Depending from the head 20 ot' the cam and by preference formedintegral therewith, is a shank 21.r which projects into a tubular recess11 near the inner end of the handle or shankzof the inner jaw I, andwith this shank 21 is engaged an expansive spring 22 which rests in saidrecess. The numeral 23 designates a button, preferably having ascrew-,threaded shank Q1 which projects through a slot 25 in the innermember I and is engagedwith the head '20 of said cam. The parts are soproportioned and connected thatLthey will stand normally as seen in Fig.1, and by preference they are entirely of metal although the exactdetails this reti-acts the cam 17 so that its face, en

gaging the bill 1G of the hook 13, swings the latter' outward around itspivot l, and

with it moves the worm XV; the threads 10 are thus disengaged from therack l, and the operator with his other hand grasps the outer jaw O anddrawsy it outward until it can span the work N, when he releases it; theexpansive force of the spring G then presses upon the wall 8-at theinner end of the chamber 7 in the shank S, and the latter with the outerjaw O moves downward it the parts stand as seen in Fig. 1; and theresult is that the work N is grasped between the two jaws? 'Now theoperator removes his thumb from 'the button 23, when the expansive forceof the spring 22 moves said button and the cam 17 outward, with theresult that the cam face 19 ceases to hold the hook in its abnormalposition and the spring 14 swings said hook back to the tulllinedposition in Fig. 1 so that the threads 10 of the worm l/V engage therack R; after which the operator can grasp the worm be tween the thumband tinger of his left hand and rotate it until the jaws are in quiteclose contact with the work N. The latter is then turned in eitherdirection, and 'it itbe necessary for the operator lto remove the jawsfrom the work and take a new bite thereon, he can do so wit-hout iiearthat the outer aw will move with relation to the inner aw, because theyare now held in locked relationby the worm and rack as seen in Fig. 1.Having finished this use of the wrench, the operator places his thumbagain on the button 23 and draws it downward, Awith the result that theworm is thrown outward to the dotted-lined position7 and the spring 6immediately acts to draw the shank S and outer jaw inward and the partsof this wrench assume their closed position so that it may be stored insmall compass.

This is the preferred construction of my improved wrench. However, it isquite obvious that the chamber-7, spring 6, and part-s connectedtherewith might be entirely omitted-the only result being that the outerjaw would have to be moved in both directions by hand at a. time whenthe button was retracted so that the worm was swung outward, or it couldybe moved in both directions at other times by turning the worm betweenthe thumb vand finger as above described. If. the head of the cam beshaped ras shown in Fig. 5, it is also quite possible to omit the spring14, because the impulse of the spring Q2 movinggaid head outward wouldcause its vheel 2G" to engage the back 27 otl the hook 13 and press thelatter inward. ln this event, however, I would ldoubtless maire saidheel a little longer than illustrated. 0n the other hand, it is 'quite1possible to omit the spring 22 entirely, in which case the spring 111would doubtless be made a little stronger and the cam slot ot' a littlesteeper pitch so that the expansion of said spring and the inwardmovement of the bill 1G of the hook would cause the downward movementot' said cam and the button. Nevertheless, l have described thepreferred construction of my device, and reserve tlV right to make suchchanges in and elaboi tions thereof as come within the spirit or thepresent invention.

ii'hat is claimed as new is:

1. .ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one ofthem provided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted toengage the teeth of said rack; of a hook whose shank is pivoted at oneeX- trem'ity within a recess in the handle-member of one aw and on whosebody said worm is rotatably mounted, a cam slidably mounted in thishandleanember and with its face engaging the bill of said hook, anexpansive spring pressing said cam vin a direction to swing the hook andworm inward, and means tor retracting the cam-head in opposition to thetendency ofthis spring.

2. ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one ofthem provided with a rack and the other with a worm whose threads areadapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook on whose'body saidworin rotatably mounted, a spring pressing said body in a' direction tothrow 'the threads of the worm normally into engagement with said rack,a cam engaging the bill et said hook, a spring pressing said camnormally in a direction to move the hook and worm inward, and abuttonconnected with the cam and extending to the exterior ot'A said member, v

3. ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one ofthem being tuluilar andthe other having a shank slid-A ing therein andprovided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage theteeth of said raclr; of a hook whose shank pivoted at one extremitywithin a recess in the tubular handle-inember and onv whose body saidworin is rotatably mounted, cam slidably' mounted in this handle--memberand with" its iace engaging the bill of said hook, a shank dependingfrom the head of' the cam into a recess within this handlemember, anyexpansive spring pressing said shanlrin a direction to' cause the camface to swing the hook and worm inward, and means 'for retracting thecam-head in opposition to the tendency of this spring.

4. In a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one ofthem being tubular and the other having a shank sliding therein. andprovided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage theteeth of said rack; of a hook Whose shank is pivoted -at one extremitywithin a recess in said tubular-member and on whose body said .worm isrotatably mounted,V a spring pressing said body in a direction to throwthe threads of the worm normally into engagement with said rack, a camslid'- ably mounted 1n tlns member with its face engaging the bill ofsaid hook, a spring therein and provided with a rack, and a worm whosethreads are adapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook whoseshank is pivoted at one extremity within a recess in the tubular-memberand on whose body said worm is rotatably mounted, a springswinging saidhook normally inward, a cam lnovably connected with the wrenchhandlewith its face engaging the, bill of said hook, a spring tending to movethis cam normally in a direction to assist the first-mentioned springand swing the hook inward, and means for reti-acting said cam inopposition to the last-named spring.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ABEL LITINEU. Witnesses:

FRANCIS R. CoLToN, P. J. MORRISON.

